I give legal and strategic advice to charities, social businesses and educational institutions on a variety of commercial, charity law, governance, education law and safeguarding issues. I am Head of Education at Bates Wells.
I regularly deliver training on charity, safeguarding and education law and have been interviewed by The Times and BBC London News to give legal commentary. I also regularly participate in both internal and external events. Recent speaking slots include the BETT/London & Partners event focused on the London EdTech ecosystem, and an event during London EdTech week on what EdTech’s entering the UK market should consider.
I am also an experienced charity trustee and school governor – my passion lies in causes concerning children and young people and the Arts. I am currently a trustee of The Unicorn Theatre and Opera Holland Park, and a governor of a maintained primary school in central London.
My legal experience includes:
- Establishing new charities, social businesses and educational institutions.
- Advising on charity incorporations, restructuring, mergers and joint ventures/collaborations.
- Advising trustees on regulatory and governance matters and crisis management, including Charity Commission investigations and serious incident reporting.
- Advising on all aspects of education law, including advising on admissions and exclusions, numerous academy conversions and transfers. I have particular expertise in school, college and Higher Education mergers and acquisitions, de-mergers and governance reviews.
- Advising on safeguarding, including DBS checks, drafting and reviewing policies, and safeguarding investigations.
- Advising HMC - The Heads’ Conference on a governance and constitutional review.
- Advising on numerous academy transfers and FE college mergers - I advise on all commercial aspects, including process and governance, legal structuring, consultations, legal due diligence and negotiating the transfer agreement.
- Acting for a large Spanish education group on the acquisition of UK independent schools.
- Advising a university on the sale of one of its faculties.
- Advising on the merger of two large learning disability charities, including obtaining regulatory consents from the CQC, Charity Commission and the Department for Education.
- Advising a large educational charity on securing release of £20m of permanent endowment to enable it to fund the substantial redevelopment project of one of its beneficiary schools, and on becoming an academy sponsor.
- Advising various national and international charities on improving their safeguarding governance in line with Charity Commission guidance on safeguarding and serious incident reporting, and managing safeguarding investigations.
- Acting for a national children’s food poverty charity to undertake a review of its various corporate partnerships (for compliance with charity and fundraising law and regulation), and preparing template agreements for use with its corporate partners and member schools.
- Establishing a charitable foundation for a high net worth couple to support educational projects in schools.
- Advising an international NGO in relation to a Charity Commission safeguarding investigation and on its move to the Netherlands as a result of Brexit.